Bustle



(No Model.)

B. S. REED.

BUSTLE.

No. 328,717. Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

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Marten States Parent Utmost BEVERLY S. REED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUSTLE.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BEVERLY S. REED, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bustles, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and eXact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an isometrical perspective view of my improved bustleprovided with a skirt, and Fig. 2 a like view showing the bustle detached from the skirt.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to that class of bustles which are composed, principally, of wires and tapes, being adapted to be worn with or without a skirt of substantially the same materials; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully setforth and claimed, the object being to produce a better fitting, more durable, and otherwise desirable article of this character than is now in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the waistban d, which is provided with a clasp or buckle, x, and depending from the waistband there are tapes in m for supporting a series of horizontally-arranged ribs or wires, (1, in the usual manner. These wires at the upper portion of the bustle are longer than those at the lower portion, or project forward of the tape m, as shown at f, their forward ends being inclined downwardly and secured to the upper portion of the tapes h beneath a vertically-arranged metallic spring-stay, z, the upper end of which is secured to the waistband A. The stayz may be disposed on the outer side of the tape h, or on its inner side, or at its edge, as preferred.

A vertically-arranged metallic spring-stay, N, is introduced in the center of the bustle at the rear of the same, the upper end of said stay being coiled or bent, as shown at o, the wire S E EIFICATEOI-Il forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,717, dated October 20, 1885.

Application filed May 20, 1885. Serial No. 166,106.

(No model.)

ribs d being represented in the drawings as broken away to show said coil.

A cloth partition or diaphragm, B, is provided at the center of the bustle, this diaphragm being formed in two parts, which have their contiguous edges laced together, as shown at 2'.

The bustle proper terminates at 9; but when it is made with a skirt, 0, the diaphragm is extended below the bustle proper, as shown in Fig. 1, this feature, however, being old and not cl aimed,broadly,herein unless so extended.

The skirt C is composed of a series of supporting hoops or ribs, Z, and tapes 13 r h, the upper ends of the tapes i being connected to the lower end of the central tape, m, the upper ends of the tapes r to the lower ends of the tapes m and the upper ends of the tapes h to the waistband A. The tapes 1* m may, however, be made integral, or in one piece, if desired.

Instead of securing the forward ends of the upper ribs, (1, of the bustle to the tapes h, they may be secured to the stays 2, said stays being attached to the upper portion of the tapes, as shown, or in any other suitable manner.

\Vhen the stay N is extended upwardly in the usual manner and attached to the waistband A, if an upward pressure is brought to bear at or near the end 9, the rear portion of the bustle at 25 will be unduly distended or thrown out of shape; but when said stay stops short of the waistband and has its upper end coiled, as shown at v, the stay will be forced inwardly at that point without catching or tearing any of the surrounding parts or unduly distending the portion 15, the coil acting to turn the upper end of the stay downwardly within the body of the bustle.

The object of the stay 2 is to keep the outer ends of the ribs d at the upper portion of the bustle inclined downwardly, as shown at f, so that when pressure is brought to bear on the rear portion of the bustle it will retain its shape, or if thrown out of shape it willresume its proper shape immediately the pressure is withdrawn, which it will not do without assistance when the ends f are inclined upwardly or arranged horizontally in the usual manner.

I do not confine myself to making the stay 2 of spring-steel, as it may be made of any other suitable material, and also unyielding, if desired; neither do I confine myself to coiling the end of the stay N, as shown at v, as the coil may be left off, if desired, although it is preferable to use it; nor to making the bustle with the skirt 0, nor attaching the skirt to the bustle, as shown.

The diaphragm B presses against the underskirts and has its outer edges attached to the interior of the bustle opposite the tapes m thereby preventing the body of the bustle from being unduly pushed forward around the person of the wearer.

WVhen the bustle is made with a skirt, the diaphragm is extended downwardly below the bustle proper, and the upper ribs or hoops of the skirt are cut shorter than the rest and have their forward ends attached to the lower end of the diaphragm, as shown at y, thereby preventing this portion of the skirt from being pushed forward out of proper position in substantially the same manner as it keeps the ribs of the bustle proper in position.

Having thus explained my invention, What I claim is 1. In a bustle, a waistband, a series of vertical supporting tapes, and stays in front of the side tapes, in combination with a series of horizontal ribs, a number of which are connected' at their ends to the side tapes, while the upper ribs extend past said tapes and are connected at their ends to said stays, being inclined downward from said tapes to said stays, substantially as described.

tion with a vertically-arranged curved metallic spring-stay connected to said ribs at the back of the bustle, the upper end of said stay extending above the uppermost of the ribs to which it is attached and being curved inwardly toward the waistband from which it is disconnected, wliereby'the bustle readily yields to pressure and resumes its normal shape when relieved therefrom, substantially as described.

.4. The skirt 0, in combination with a bustle having the stay N, provided with the coil 22, and ribs d with the inclined ends f, and stay 2, substantially as described.

5. In a bustle, the diaphragm B, projecting below the bustle proper, in combination with the skirt 0, having certain of its upper ribs or hoops Z cut shorter than the lower ribs and secured to the projecting end of said diaphragm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

BEVERLY S. REED,

Witnesses:

O. A. SHAW, L. J. WHITE. 

